Red skies hang over a desote dark red and purple ndscape filled with rge white spikes jetting out of the ground, and rge pools of bck slime. Suddenly a rge paw emerges from within the slime and a Beowolf gradually crawls out, slime sliding off of it and onto the ground.

  Several Beowolves emerge from nearby pools, before they head off into the distance. In a rge bck castle, Mercury Bck and Emerald Sustrai. Emerald has her hand to her mouth while Mercury seems slightly disgusted.Suddenly a gloved hang snaps its gingers.

  At the centers of the long purple room, is a crystal table. Five people sit at the table with seven chairs. One of them is Cinder Fall, having a rge scar over the left side of her face, with her hair covering it. A couple small scars on her chin and forehead. She's also missing her left arm as it has been repced by a grimm arm.

  Across from Cinder is a man named Arthur Watts, he's a tall middle-aged man with a slim build and slightly tanned skin. He has short bck and grey hair as well as a thick mustache and eyebrows, and green eyes. He wears a gray overcoat with yellow linings, a yellow dress shirt, and a bck necktie. His pants are the same color as his overcoat. His yellow-buttoned undercoat and fingerless gloves match his cordovan shoes, which he also wears yellow socks.

  To Cinder's right is Tyrian Callows, he sits in a crouch casually on his chair, resting his arms on his knees.

  Tyrain is a pce scorpion faunus with gold yes and long, dark brown hair worn in a ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. His chest is crisscrossed with prominent scars.

  He wears a white sleeveless jacket, left open to expose his bare chest, and white paints. Over his jacket are two buckled, dark gray leather suspenders supporting a bck cummerbund, with a third strap running across his chest perpendicur to the suspenders and joining with them on his back. There is also a dark brown leather belt snted across his hips.

  His arms are covered with cream-colored bandages and elbow-length, brown fingerless gloves with only a middle finger loop. Over these are dark brown leather, ce-up vambraces capped with small, silver counters. He also wears knee-high, dark brown leather boots with strips of bck up the shins and buckled straps around the ankles, and silver poleyns strapped to his knees.

  On each earlobe is a silver, ring, shaped earring, with a third near the top of his left ear.

  Across from Tyrain is Hazel Rainart.

  Hazel is a tall and muscur middle-aged man. He is also unusually rge and broad. he has short dark brown hair, a beard and hazel eyes. His hairy arms has rge scars running up them, a result of using Dust infusions.

  He wears a two-toned olive green coat over a bck 3/4 sleeve shirt, and a rge belt. His pants are bck, with a pouch strapped to each leg, and his boots are brown with white fronts. Some of his scars near the edges of his sleeves are visible.

  Cinder sits quietly, while Mercury and Emerald moves to her side. Emerald nudges Mercury out of her way so that she can be directly next to Cinder.

  "Yes, yes, please keep your posse in check." Watts mocks, and Mercury grunts and makes a move towards Watts, but Emerald holds him back. "You hear that? Silence."

  Hazel gives Watts an unimpressed sideways gnce. Watts continues.

  "I've half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you."

  Tyrian speaks up as he looks at Cinder. "If I were you, I'd hunter her down." He Snickers. "Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?"

  Cinder only stares at Tyrian while he cackles at her. Cinder tries to speak but only manages to make quiet exhaling noises.

  Suddenly a slightly female metallic voice is heard. "Keep your tongue still, Tyrian."

  Sitting beside Watts is Pink Watts.

  Pink has short Pink hair with a singur pink left eye. The right half of her face is mechanical, with a menacing reddish-pink right eye. Her right arm is completely mechanical with glowing purple tubes running around it, a small canister of purple dust rests on the shoulder.

  Her left hand is covered in burn scars, and her throat is covered in metal. Both of her legs are metal from the knees down, purple glowing tubes twisting around them.

  Pink wears a pink sweat shirt, with a yellow shirt underneath. She has a pair of gold earrings on her left ear, and a few silver rings on her metal right fingers. She has on jean shorts that are cut short.

  Pink gres at Tyrian as he snickers at her.

  "You know, Pink, I would love to see your next fight with Ash." Tyrian cackles. "Maybe this time he'll take the other half of your body."

  Pink growls in anger, her voice partially metallic. She sits up in anger.

  "Pink, calm down." Watts orders.

  Pink sits down and looks away. "Sorry, father."

  Watts rolls his eyes. "Pink, if you were more focused on your objective, you could've taken out Ash. Just another failure to add to the list."

  Pink clenches her fists as she stares at the table.

  There is a sound of a heavy metal door being untched. The doors open and everyone stands just before Salem enters. She glides alongside the table with soft footsteps before reaching the head of it, jewels jangling from her hair. Salem stops, facing away from them and towards a candle and crystal dispy.

  "Watts." Salem calls out to him, and he straightens as he looks to her. he then turns to him. "Do you find such malignance necessary?" She gestures for all to sit down, only Watts keeps standing.

  "I apologize, ma'am." Watts starts. "I'm not particurly fond of failure."

  Watts and Salem sit simultaneously.

  "Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She became our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin." Salem then motions to the tense Pink. "And even your own daughter, Pink. She managed to crippled Cyprus Ash, pave the way into Vale, and took down most of Team AMBR. And even Killing Byzantine, where most have tried, she succeeded. So I am curious, to what failures are you referring?"

  "Well, Cyprus Ash is still alive and the girl with Silver Eyes." Watts says.

  Hazel finally speaks. "Yes, We've dealt with their kind before. How is it a novice was able to beast one of us?"

  "My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless."

  "It is because of the Maiden's power, and of the that red haired girl. Make no mistake, Cinder, you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."

  Cinder is unhappy about this and lowers her head. Emerald looks at her in sympathy.

  Salem turns to the two Watts. "Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's pce and meet with our informant in Mistral.And Pink, you are to keep an eye on the Pāpuruburēdo, watch their movements. Make sure they don't notice any movement from us or the White fang."

  Watts nods." Very good."

  Pink gnces at Salem. "Yes, ma'am."

  Salem turns to Tyrian. "Tyrian, I want to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."

  Tyrian ughs. "Gdly."

  Salem then turns to Hazel. "And Hzael, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

  Hazel nods. "As you wish."

  Cinder raises a finger. Emerald fails to notice this gesture for a moment.

  "Oh!" Emerald leans in to hear her. Cinder taps into her ear. Emerald straightens.

  "Speak, child." Salem calls out.

  "She wants to know..." Emerald hesitates. "What about the girl?"

  Watts scoffs. "What about her? Seems to me this is Cinder's problem, not ours."

  Cinder sms her fist onto the table and gres at Watts, who grins at her. Pink just gnces between Cinder and her father.

  "That's enough." Salem orders. "Tyrian?"

  "Yes, my dy?"

  "Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder." Salem orders as Tyrian giggles betedly and cps. "And bring her to me."

  Tyrian freezes, groans disappointingly, pouts for a second, then looks back up at Salem with an acquiescent shrug.

  Salem looks between everyone. "Because of your efforts. Beacon has fallen. And Heaven will be next."

  Everyone rises. Tyrian Snickers at Cinder and points to his left eye.

  "Eye for an eye." Tyrian ughs wickedly. He then goes into an uncontrolble for of manic ughter, while Cinder grits her teeth.

  .

  .

  .

  The floating city of Ats hangs over Mantle, as a figure in a small house stares up at it. A finger drums against a piece of paper, a pen sitting on top of it. A silver pistol, with blue parts, rests on the corner of the table. Several bullets are strung about the table, including several photos of Team AMBR, Team JNPR, and Team RWBY.

  Several books and notebooks also lie about the table. And the figure sitting at the table is one Rose Bell.

  Rose has long white hair, tied into a wavy pony tail. Several strands of hair are dyed Pink, Sapphire Blue, and Purple. Her blue right eye and left gold eyes stare up at Ats, longing look in her eyes.

  She has a red feather earring on her right ear, and a set of gold earrings on her left. She wears a white dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a blue skirt with white linings. She has a very rge chest, one that rivals her friend Yang's.

  She has a small scar over her right eyebrow, and just beside her left eye. Small burn scar on the tip of her left ear, and a small one on the back of her neck. There's a rge jagged scar on her right thigh.

  Rose sighs as she fiddles with a ring on her right ring finger, a simple silver ring with Rose engravings on it. There's a white coat, with fur colr, on the back of her chair.

  She then picks her pen back up and finishes writing a letter, and sets it in an envelope. She writes an address on the front, before sealing it.

  She leans back in her chair as she sets the envelope down. She looks up to the ceiling and blinks a few times. She then brings up her hands and stares at them, blood fshes on them, before disappearing.

  Rose's breath hitches for a few seconds, as the ughter of Pink echoes in her head. But then she brings a hand to her chest and starts to control her breathing. After a few seconds she calms down, and she rubs her eyes.

  Her eyes trail down the desk and nd on a photo of her and Byzan. Byzan has an arm wrapped around her waist as he holds her close, Rose has a massive blush in the picture.

  Tears start to well up in her eyes, but she rubs them away. Then sps the sides of her face.

  "Come on Rose, stay strong..." She mutters to herself.

  Suddenly a voice calls out. "Rose! Lunch is ready."

  "Coming, Mother!" Rose stands up and slides her chair in, and grabs the letter. She then heads out of the room.

  A photo is revealed that was underneath the envelope, is a photo of all of Team AMBR, JNPR, RWBY and CFVY, all smiling and doing poses to the camera. Everyone looks happy, well only one is not. Ambré is gring at Byzan as he gives her bunny ears with a rge smile. Velvet blushes as she stands right next to Byzan.

  There's writing on the bottom of the photo.

  "???? ???????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ??????????????????????????."

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  04-03-2025

  2000 words